European Maritime Day

This year Europe is going to celebrate the fourth European Maritime Day, but for the first time a city on the Baltic will be the epicentre of the celebrations. This time it is the city of Gdańsk that will be the maritime capital of Europe for a few days in May. The event will be hosted not only by the city of Gdańsk, but the local government of the Pomerania Region and the Ministry of Infrastructure as well. The European Maritime Day, an official EU festival celebrated on May 20 each year, was first held in 2008 in Brussels. In subsequent years the event – always accompanied by the meetings of high-ranking politicians and maritime economy experts – was held in Rome, Italy and Gijón, Spain.

This year the official agenda includes an international conference (19-20 May) held in the Frederic Chopin Philharmonic Concert Hall in the Isle of Ołowianka, with the participation of the EU dignitaries (e.g. Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, and Maria Damanaki, European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries), representatives of governments of Poland and other European countries, as well as institutions and organizations related to maritime economy and fisheries. The main message of the conference is “Putting People First”, hence the issues raised there include the attractiveness of jobs related to the maritime sector, the EU Baltic Region policy and the efficiency of sea transport. Apart from the conference, there will be a lot of attractions for Gdańsk inhabitants and tourists who will come to the city on these days: open-air concerts, shows, exhibitions and competitions. One of the highlights will be the opening of the Sailing Season, with demonstration of salvage techniques and dragonboat races. It will also be an opportunity to see the many yachts that will come to Gdańsk for the European Maritime Day and moor at the Motława Quay and Marina.